Sharon Bessell The Crawford School of Economics and Government The Australian National University

1. ‘She talks to me and she remembers my birthday’: Relationship as a basis for children’s participationPresentation toThe Centre for the Study of Childhood and YouthThe University of Sheffield28 June 2011 Sharon Bessell The Crawford School of Economics and Government The Australian National University sharon.besell@anu.edu.au

2. Studies Informing this Paper • 12 children belonging to the ‘Kids Club’, a program for children from a ‘disadvantaged’ community • 36 children and young people with experience of the out-of-home care system on priority issues for children in care • 28 young people with experience of out-of home care on participation in decision-making

3. Forms of Participation • in individual decision-making about one’s own life • in community initiatives (iii) in planning, delivering and shaping services (iv) in influencing public policy McNeish (1999)

4. Key Themes Emerging KIDS CLUB STUDY OUT OF HOME CARE STUDIES Children had few or no choices Children often felt no or little sense of connectedness Children’s rarely felt their workers knew them or were able to act on their behalf Children felt no-on listened Or cared! • Children had chosen to be part of the Club • Children felt a strong connectedness to their Club • Children felt that workers ‘knew’ them and acted in their interests • Children felt their views were listened to and valued • Even when they were not acted upon

5. THE KIDS CLUB STUDY Children had chosen to be part of the Club ‘One day I was walking across with my mum to go to the Deli and I saw this very, very, very exciting place and my mum popped in and she spoke to Natalie. While my mum talked to Natalie I looked all around and spoke to all the people and they were very nice people and we started to become friends. And I liked them very much. And I begged my mum – me and my mum went home and that night I kept begging her if she could sign me up and on Thursday night she said yes. And I was very, very, very happy and I’ve been going here for one and a half years now. It’s been very, very exciting.’ Trinity, 9 years

6. THE KIDS CLUB STUDY Children had chosen to be part of the Club ‘I started coming because it is fun and I like the toys and stuff. I like the computers. Sometimes we are allowed to put music on and I like the music best...And I joined the reading club because I like reading and making stories.’ Tayla, 8 years ‘I started coming on my own – you know, usually to get food. Then I started to stay and do stuff. I like meeting people here. I like writing the scripts and the movies...’ (Aiden, 10yrs)

7. THE KIDS CLUB STUDY Children felt a strong connectedness to their Club

8. THE KIDS CLUB STUDY Children felt a strong connectedness to their Club ‘You know Tayla and I are best friends. We don’t hang out together at school all the time – we’re in different classes, you know. But we’re there for each other. We’re best friends.’ (Trinity, 9 years) ‘Yeah, you know, we look out for each other. At school and that. Like if someone starts bullying her – you know, I’d be there.’ (Tayla, 8 years)

9. THE KIDS CLUB STUDY Children felt that workers ‘knew’ them and acted in their interests ‘It is very exciting because there is this lady Natalie and she is very helpful and she is very art, artistic. And she does lots of arts stuff and when there is nothing to do around Kids Club she can always find lots to do.’ Tasha, 8 years ‘I like Natalie because she helps us with putting our hair up and lots of other stuff.’ Chloe, 7 years ‘I get help with my homework here. At home I do it on my own. Here I have Natalie and Ben and Anne to help me, but I’d rather do it on my own but it’s good to have some help.’ Aiden 10 years

10. THE KIDS CLUB STUDY Children felt that workers ‘knew’ them and acted in their interests ‘When we’re deciding on a holiday program, we talk lots about the stuff we like and then Natalie makes some suggestions. Like last holidays we’d been doing stuff on animals and lots of us liked animals. We’d done drawings and read lots of books and stuff. Then Natalie said, ‘how ‘bout we go to the Zoo?’ And we were like yeah, great.’ Josh, 9 years

11. THE KIDS CLUB STUDY Children felt their views were listened to and valued - even when they were not acted upon Trinity: ‘We don’t always get to choose. Sometimes Natalie chooses. She knows what we like.’ Chloe: ‘We can talk to Natalie about what we like and what’s important. It’s not like she always has to ask. She knows us.’ Tayla: ‘Yeah, usually Natalie and Ben choose, but sometimes we want to do something, we ask. Like I ask if we can do the dress ups and Natalie says yes.’

12. OUT OF HOME CARE STUDIES Children often felt no or little sense of connectedness ‘The only choice you have when you’re a kid in care is homelessness.’ Matt, 16 years ‘They shoved me with a family [on the other side of the city]. I’d never been there before and I didn’t know anyone there. I phoned my friends and I was just crying and crying…I didn’t want to be there, away from everyone and everything I knew. The family had younger kids – around 10 and 12. I had no say in it at all. I said ‘I don’t want to go there’ and Family Services said ‘You have to’. I didn’t even meet them [the family], I was just dropped at the door.’ Jess, 15 years

13. OUT OF HOME CARE STUDIES Children’s rarely felt their workers knew them or were able to act on their behalf ‘I had one worker who always called me by another name. My foster mum would say, her name is Sarah, and she’d say ‘oh sorry’ and then the next time call me the wrong name.’ Sarah, 13 years ‘The workers don’t usually talk to us. They might just say how are you or how’s school, but they don’t talk or ask more.’ Lee, 12 years

14. OUT OF HOME CARE STUDIES Children felt no-on listened - or cared ‘Who doesn’t listen when you’re a kid in care? EVERYBODY!’. Sam, 16 years ‘I had to run away before anyone would listen to me. Then I just got a letter saying I was grounded for two weeks. But not one really listened or did anything. Everyone in Family Services is running away – there is nothing else you can do.’ Jen, 15 years

15. OUT OF HOME CARE STUDIES Children felt no-on listened - or cared ‘I’m in a good placement now, you know they are like, you know like my family. But I always know that if anything goes wrong, I’m on my own. No one is going to listen [referring to the government department and non-government agency responsible for placement], and there is no one to turn to or complain to. You know, you’re on your own.’ Fiona, 17 years

16. In each of the studies, children and young people talked of the importance of having a say. Children did not want to make autonomous decisions Children did want to have the opportunity to express their views to feel safe and comfortable in expressing their views to have their views respected, taken seriously and valued to know why particular decisions are made about their lives In the KIDS Club study children were generally positive about their experiences of participation In the out-of-home care study, children were despairing about their experiences of participation THE NATURE AND QUALITY OF RELATIONSHIPS WHY?

17. WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE KIDS Club: Relationships tended to be Out of Home Care: Relationships tend to be Transient – regular changes in workers, often with out children being informed Based on bureaucratic processes Based on unequal power, where children have little power or scope for negotiation – except ‘running amok’ • Long term • Based on knowing one another • Real and sometimes spontaneous • Grounded in mutual respect • Open to a degree of ‘power sharing’ and negotiation

18. WHAT WAS THE RESULT FOR CHILDREN’S SENSE OF PARTICIPATION? KIDS Club: Out-of-Home Care: Children felt there was no avenue through which they could have a say Children felt no-one wanted to listen to them Felt completely disempowered • Children felt safe and comfortable in sharing their views • Children felt their views were valued • Participation occurred through consistent, respectful and happy relationships with workers

19. Providing a Basis for Participation: ‘I had one great caseworker. She took me shopping, we went for coffee. We did the things that mums and daughters or mums and sons do – you need to do that. She came to visit me. We talked, we talked lots. You know, she really cared.’ Jen, 15 years Kay, well, she’s special. She talks to me and she remembers my birthday. Even now she’s not my worker anymore she remembers! Look, here’s a text... And I could tell her stuff and she’d listen. Fiona, 16 years

20. Theories of Participation • Intrinsic Value of Participation • Instrumental Value of Participation • Participation as a Right • Participation as Citizenship Successful in putting children’s participation on the policy agenda

21. Child Welfare & Child Protection Policy • Shift towards including participation • Charters of Rights for Children and Young People in Care all include the right to participate or have a say • Shift towards hearing children’s views in court processes • National Child Protection Framework

22. The Practice of Participation A range of models ‘What is significant about most existing models of participation is that they analyse participation in terms of outcomes, that is, the focus is on the possible range or level of engagement likely through different participatory processes.’Graham, Whelan and Fitzgerald (2006)

23. Conclusion from the KIDS Club and Out-of-Home Care studies: In Theory, Policy and Practice there has been insufficient attention given to how child-adult relationships – generally and individually – facilitate or obstruct children’s participation in decisions made about their lives.

24. Forms of Participation • in individual decision-making about one’s own life • in community initiatives (iii) in planning, delivering and shaping services (iv) in influencing public policy McNeish (1999)

25. Creating a Participatory Context (i) in individual decision-making about one’s own life Relationships form the foundation for participation • Relationships provide the context Relationships are always exist, even when they are negative

26. If participation is to be meaningful, particularly for children in out-of-home care, we need to shift from emphasising bureaucratic processes to fostering human relationships ‘You should have a say, its your life. And when someone listens to you and says yeah, that’s important you feel like you’re worth something. When they [case workers] just ignore you and don’t care what you think the you just feel like shit.’ Matt, 16 years